PRE-DRAFT AWARDS AND HONORSWorld Junior Championships: 1981 (sixth place)Mass. High School State Championship: 1979 (St. John's Prep)Mass. High School Player of Year: 1979-80, 1980-81 (St. John's)
Mass. High School All-State First Team: 1979-80, 1980-81 (SJP)Mass.
Catholic Conference All-Star First Team: 1978-79, 1979-80, 1980-81 (St.
John's Prep)Team USA World Junior Championships MVP: 1981Mass. High School Tournament Points Leader: 1979 (SJP) (16)
Miscellaneous: Rated in The Hockey News draft preview issue as
No. 4 overall prospect for the 1981 NHL draft. ...
Attended St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers, Mass., where coach was
Joe Yannetti. ... Led Team USA with
five goals, four assists and nine points as a 17-year-old high school senior
in 1981 World Junior Championships. ... Considered the
greatest U.S. high school hockey player in history, he was labeled the
"Can't-Miss Kid" in a cover story on the Feb. 23, 1981, issue of Sports
Illustrated. ... Attended Higgins Junior High School in Peabody, Mass.,
before entering St. John's. ... Signed letter of intent to play at Providence
College during his senior year of high school, but changed his mind and
decided to enter pro hockey after the Capitals offered to make him the first
high school hockey player to go straight to NHL from a U.S. high school
team. ... Was Windsor's 10th-round pick, No. 125 overall, in 1980 OMJHL
priority selection.

NHL
AWARDS AND HONORSAll-Star Game: 1985 (Washington)Stanley Cup Finals (Lost):
1990 (Boston)Washington Rookie of Year: 1981-82Washington Records: Most points by a rookie (67 in 1981-82, shares
record), most goals by a rookie (32 in 1981-82), most consecutive games played
(422 from Oct. 7, 1981, until Nov. 22, 1986)50-Goal Seasons: 1984-85 (Washington) (53)NHL First-Goals Leader: 1984-85 (13)
Washington Goals Leader: 1984-85 (53)Washington Playoffs Goals
Leader: 1986 (5)Washington Playoffs Assists Leader: 1985 (4)Washington Playoffs Penalty-Minutes Leader: 1984 (25)Coaching Career: Named New Jersey assistant coach on March 24, 2000,
and remained in that position until Aug. 22, 2000. ... Named New Jersey
assistant coach on July 11, 2002, and remained in that position into 2003-04
season.
Miscellaneous: Was first American player to be selected within the top
five picks of an NHL draft and highest U.S.-born draft pick in history at the
time he was selected (record since broken). ... Was represented by attorney Jack Herlihy when
he signed his first NHL contract, which was a three-year deal plus an option
year worth close to $500,000. He signed the contract on Aug 27, 1981, after
deciding not to attend Providence College. ... Became first player to go
directly from a U.S. high school team into the NHL when he made his debut on
Oct. 7, 1981. ... Had goal and assist in his first NHL game. The
goal beat Buffalo netminder Don Edwards at 3:06 of the second period, giving
Washington a 2-1 lead in what would end as a 5-3 Capitals loss. The assist,
on Washington's first goal of the 1981-82 season, came just 12 seconds into
the first period as Carpenter set up Ryan Walter for a breakaway. ... Was
NHL's youngest regular player in 1981-82 season. ... Set
Washington single-season record (since broken) for shots on goal by a rookie
with 262 in 1981-82. ... Scored four goals vs. St. Louis as a rookie on Feb.
25, 1982. ... Played on line with Mike Gartner for Washington in 1984-85. ...
Became first American player to score 50 goals in an NHL season when he
achieved feat in 1984-85. He broke Joe Mullen's previous American record of 41
goals when he scored his 42nd goal during Washington's Feb. 13, 1985, at
Winnipeg. ... Set NHL single-season record (since broken) for goals by a
U.S.-born player with 53 in 1984-85. ... Signed four-year, $1.3 million
contract with Washington in summer of 1985. ... Missed part of 1986-87 season with
the flu. ... Missed part of 1987-88 season with torn right rotator cuff, an
injury suffered in January 1988. ... Played left wing for Los Angeles for
parts of 1987-88 season. ... Missed parts of 1988-89 season with broken right
thumb and wrist, an injury suffered during Los Angeles' Dec. 31, 1988,
exhibition game vs. touring Riga Dynamo team from the Soviet Union, and with
broken left thumb, an injury suffered during Boston's March 12, 1989, game at
Buffalo. ... Traded by Los Angeles to Boston on Jan. 23, 1989, but did not
play first game for Boston until Feb. 14, 1989, in Vancouver because he had
been out with thumb and wrist injury. ... Missed remainder of 1989 playoffs
with torn ligaments in right wrist, an injury suffered during Game 3 of
Boston's Adams Division finals series vs. Montreal on April 21, 1989. ...
Played left wing as well as center during his years in Boston. ... Missed
start of 1990-91 season with left knee injury, suffered during a preseason
game in October 1990. ... Missed remainder
of 1990-91 regular season and start of 1991 playoffs with shattered left
kneecap and damaged cartilage in left knee, an injury suffered when he missed
a check on Sylvan Lefebvre and crashed into the boards during Boston's Dec. 8, 1990,
game vs. Montreal. The injury required four hours of surgery on Dec. 11, 1990.
... Missed remainder of 1991 playoffs with injured left wrist and
re-aggravation of kneecap injury, suffered during Game 2 of Boston's
first-round series vs. Hartford on April 5, 1991. The re-aggravated kneecap
required surgery on April 20, 1991. ... Missed part of 1991-92 season with
strained calf, an injury suffered during Boston's March 19, 1992, game vs. St.
Louis. ... Became unrestricted free agent after the 1991-92 season when Boston
refused to offer him a new contract because team was uncertain about his knee.
... Signed one-year, $500,000 contract with Washington as unrestricted
free-agent on June 30, 1992. The deal included two option years, which
Washington would have to exercise after the first season. Washington chose not
to exercise this option, making Carpenter a free agent again after the 1992-93
season. ... Attended New Jersey's 1993 training camp on a tryout basis on
Sept. 13, 1993. He earned a spot on roster and signed a two-year contract on
Sept. 30, 1993. ... Played on line with Tom Chorske and Stephane Richer for
New Jersey in 1995. ... Missed part of 1995 season with sprained ankle, an
injury suffered during New Jersey's Feb. 11, 1995, game vs. Philadelphia. ...
Missed remainder of 1995 regular season and start of 1995 playoffs with
charley horse in right leg, an injury suffered when he crashed into a goal
post during New Jersey's April 20, 1995, game at Florida. ... Missed start of
1995-96 season with laceration of left leg, an injury suffered during New
Jersey's training camp on Sept. 28, 1995. ... Missed parts of 1995-96 season
with re-aggravation of laceration on leg, an injury suffered during New
Jersey's Oct. 14, 1995, game at Montreal and re-aggravated once again during
New Jersey's Oct. 31, 1995. game at Edmonton, with the flu, contracted in
December 1995, and with bruised arm, an injury suffered during New Jersey's
March 1, 1996, game vs. N.Y. Islanders. ... Played his 1,000th NHL game for
New Jersey on Oct. 19, 1996, at Hartford. ... Missed parts of 1996-97 season
with flu, contracted in December 1996, with bruised shoulder, suffered during New Jersey's Dec. 20, 1996, game at Edmonton, with strained
neck, suffered during New Jersey's Feb. 15, 1997, game at Montreal,
and with the flu, contracted in April 1997. ... Played on line with Steve
Thomas and Brian Rolston for New Jersey in 1997-98. ... Missed parts of
1997-98 season with bruised knee, an injury suffered during New Jersey's Nov.
20, 1997, game vs. N.Y. Islanders, with broken foot, uffered during
New Jersey's Jan. 22, 1998, game vs. Pittsburgh, and with stiff neck, suffered during New Jersey's March 9, 1998, game at N.Y. Rangers. ...
Missed parts of 1998-99 season with bruised elbow, suffered during
New Jersey's Dec. 8, 1998, game vs. Philadelphia, with bruised right foot, suffered during New Jersey's Dec. 16, 1998, game vs. N.Y. Rangers, and
with back spasms, an injury suffered during New Jersey's March 31, 1999, game
vs. Anaheim.Carpenter Exits Washington:
Carpenter did not miss his first NHL game until 1986-87, when he was suspended
by Washington following team's Nov. 22, 1986, game vs. Pittsburgh. That game,
which ended a team-record streak of 422 consecutive games played, was his last
with Washington for the season. The suspension led to considerable tension
between Carpenter and Capitals general manager David Poile, who just under six
weeks later unloaded Carpenter in a trade to Los Angeles. Poile made it clear,
from the time he told Carpenter to leave the team, that the 23-year-old would
be traded as soon as possible. The Capitals said Carpenter had agreed to this
arrangement, although Carpenter said that he wanted to stay in Washington.
Carpenter said Poile had been pressuring him to ask for a trade, which he
didn't want. Poile was convinced that Carpenter's was not playing up to his
potential and said Carpenter told him he did not think he could get any better
in Washington under coach Bryan Murray. Poile said he was distressed that
Carpenter could not be motivated to play at the top of his game and that he
was more interested in complaining about the coaching. Poile, and Carpenter's
agent, Bob Murray, agreed that the tension had grown so great that Carpenter
would need to be traded.

NON-NHL CAREER

Post-Draft Teams: NoneCanada Cup: 1984
(fourth place), 1987 (fifth place)World Championships: 1987
(seventh place)NON-NHL
AWARDS AND HONORSSt. John's Prep Athletic Hall of Fame: Inducted 1986Coaching Career: Served as a U.S. national junior team assistant coach during summer of 1998. ... Named Albany (AHL) assistant coach
on Aug. 16, 1999, and remained in that position until March 24, 2000. ...
Named Albany (AHL) associate coach on Aug. 22, 2000, and remained in position until Aug. 3, 2001. ... Named Albany (AHL) head coach on Aug. 3,
2001, and remained in position until July 11, 2002.Education: Attended University of
Maryland and Salem State College during summer of 1981.Miscellaneous: MVP of Team New England at 1981 U.S. National Sports Festival. ... Played on
Washington team that competed in Sweden's 1981 DN Cup tournament. ... Ranked
No. 89 on list of New England's all-time top 100 athletes by the Boston
Globe in 1999.Personal: Full name is Robert
E. Carpenter Jr. ... Also known as Bob Carpenter during his NHL playing days. ...
Son of Bob Carpenter Sr., a former sergeant in the Peabody, Mass., police
department.

HOW HE GOT AWAY

TRADE/FREE AGENCY: Washington traded
Carpenter and 1989 second-round pick (Jason Prosofsky) to N.Y. Rangers in
exchange for Bob Crawford, Kelly Miller and Mike Ridley on January 1, 1987.
Five years later, Washington got Crawford back when he signed with the
Capitals as an unrestricted free agent on June 30, 1992. Just over a year
later, Washington lost Carpenter a second time when he signed with New Jersey
as an unrestricted free agent on September 30, 1993.

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